Mandy

A 2018 revenge nightmare starring Nicholas Cage & from co-writer/director Panos Cosmatos (Beyond the Black Rainbow). A happy couple, Cage & wife Andrea Riseborough, live in a secluded cabin in the woods but one day while walking home, Riseborough catches the eye of a psychotic mad man, Linus Roache, w/a messianic complex (aren't they all?) who directs his minions one night to scoop her & Cage up. After she's drugged & dragged in front of Roache, Riseborough makes the cardinal, fatal sin of laughing in front of his presence causing him to kill her off in front of Cage who's left bound to watch. Breaking free of his bonds the next morning & after an interlude of unhinged hysterics & vodka, Cage embarks on a mission of revenge (along w/a trusted crossbow he gets from his friend, Bill Duke) taking down any & everyone behind his wife's demise. Set against a kaleidoscope of purples & blacks in imagery reminiscent of a hellscape painted on the side of a 70's custom van, Cosmatos indulges in the ultimate anti-date night movie which doesn't give us an easy closure to the events but somehow wallows in the id of the characters to send its message home.

Ok so I first watched this not sure what it was about but I was hopeful of some good old meme quality Nic Cage Rage scenes at the very least. After it finished I sat there thinking WTF and I had to go make a cup of tea and seriously think about some of my life decisions.

Once that was done I came on imdb to find out more about the film and to frankly rant a little. After spending a good half hour reading a lot of very mixed reviews I decided to leave it and watch the film again another day. Which I just have.

It's not my cup of tea. I think the majority of people will hate this film purely because it's not what they are used too, and they just don't get it. Yes ok sympathise with the haters the film is a very simple revenge plot, there's not much dialogue, it's filmed mostly in red and it can drag on in places and many will turn it off before it gets half way.... Which is a shame as this film left me with a similar 'wtf did I just watch' feeling that reminds me of the first time I watched 'Eraserhead.'

'Mandy' is very much an arthouse film with a dose of 80's grindhouse thrown in and if that's the kinda film you like you will love this film. Nic Cage is brilliant in it, and yes he has those rage moments, the violence is swift and brutal, there's even a chainsaw fight. It's surreal, the atmosphere and music blends perfectly with the madness and drug induced hysteria and anger the film is trying to portray in its own arthouse style and I genuinely think this will turn out to be a cult classic.

So yep, not for everyone, but at least try and appreciate it for what it is. 8/10.

This movie is an absolute trip and people complain about style over substance but that's the whole point of the movie. To give us an insane heavy metal LSD horror trip for 2 hours. It suceeds in every way. Nic Cage is goofy in this movie and it is perfect. Some of his expressions are golden.

I mean if you liked the new suspiria or the neon demon or climax it's kinda in this genre.

I really enjoyed this film. Honestly, I'm really close to saying that I loved it. This movie is wonderfully inventive, beautifully shot, and totally unlike anything else I've ever seen before. Plus, you get to see Nick Cage fight with chainsaws. What's not to like?

Parents take note! This is not your typical Nicolas Cage film. Although it starts off slowly with some character development, it is quickly thrust into a deep, dark, hallucinogenic, and very disturbing vehicle into raging madness and revenge. This film is not for the faint of heart!

Some of the characters are a bit difficult to understand, so it helps to turn subtitles on.

There is heavy use of color throughout which is reminiscent of many horror and slasher films from the 1970s and 1980s. Strobing and hallucinogenic effects are present periodically.

Despite the seriousness of the latter half of the film, small elements of campy humor are present where they are least expected.

This film is definitely over the top, but is one of those films which must be watched to the end to see what happens next.